This training program in dermatology will support pre- and post-doctoral candidate training in basic and clinical skin research. The training provided fulfills a unique niche in dermatology because the training faculties have expertise in bioengineering, nanotechnology and optics as well as traditional biology and clinical research. Training faculty have been selected for participation based on their success in mentoring. Skin biology-based studies are supported by diverse laboratory approaches involving protein chemistry, recombinant DNA technology, lipid biochemistry and gene regulation enabling a trainee to gain broad laboratory expertise. Trainees interested in Clinical research train in collaboration with the Clinical Translational Sciences Center and can obtain a Master's degree in Public Health. Finally, trainees interested in the interface between technology and medicine have the opportunity to study under the auspices of the Center For Future Health, where their research can focus on interdisciplinary applications for skin disease in collaboration with the faculty in Engineering, Optics, Biochemistry and Bioengineering. Both post-doctoral training and pre-doctoral training support is needed to entice non-biologically oriented trainees to skin-oriented projects. The pre-doctoral program is preferably five years in length with a focus on an academic career. Highly qualified candidates are selected from students enrolled in the predoctoral training programs of the departments of Optics, Engineering, Biochemistry and Bioengineering who express an interest in skin research. The postdoctoral program is a minimum of two, preferably three years in length. These trainees are identified from those applying directly to our research group or to our dermatology residency program. Training is provided to candidates through the use of multidisciplinary mentorship teams as well as defined curricula. The multidisciplinary approach this training program supports is intended to augment existing research areas within dermatology, but also to provide training to individuals from other disciplines not commonly participating in skin research to broaden our research capacity as a field.